[ENG] Moroccan Harira beef | Flavors of Morocco

For more Flavors of Morocco: https://flavorsofmorocco.com/
Follow us on Instagram @Flavors.of.Morocco https://www.instagram.com/flavors.of.morocco/
Still haven’t subscribed to Flavors of Morocco on youtube? /

/ @flavorsofmorocco8403
——————————————
ABOUT FLAVORS OF MOROCCO:
Flavors of Morocco is the leading online cooking school dedicated to authentic Moroccan cuisine. Our expert Moroccan chefs, known as dadas, will teach you all the secrets of making Moroccan food no matter where you are.
——————————————
ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
Harira is the most famous Moroccan soup. There are different variations of the soup, but no matter how it’s made, it remains a must on every Ramadan table. You can also find harira all year around at homes, street food stalls, and restaurants.
Harira in Moroccan Arabic comes from the word “harir”, which means silk; referring to the silky texture of this zesty tomato-based soup, which has been a staple in Morocco for hundreds of years
This soup is considered as a full meal-in-a-bowl because it contains a variety of vegetables and legumes. The texture of the harira is obtained thanks to the rice and the unique technique of Teddouira’ (thickener), which is a flour and water mix that is added in the final cooking stages to thicken the soup.
Harira fits different dietary preferences, in this course, the dada is making the beef version, however, it can easily be made vegetarian, by removing the meat.
Traditionally, Harira is served along dates, hard boiled eggs, and chebakia, a honey and orange blossom flavored pastry; however, you can enjoy it with any sides of your choosing.
——————————————
Ingredients:
For the chickpeas:
160g (1 cup) dry chickpeas
Water for soaking the chickpeas

For the soup:
1 medium bunch parsley
1 medium bunch cilantro
1 medium bunch celery leaves + 2 small stalks
1 large onion
3 medium ripe tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Steps “Step 1: Preparing the ingredients
1- Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl and cover them with water. Set aside to soak overnight.
2- Finely chop the parsley, cilantro and celery stalks.
Note: Make sure to save two small celery stalks.
3- Divide the chopped herbs in half.
4- Peel the onion and wash it.
5- Grate then onion using the medium-holes of a grater.
6- Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds.
7- Grate the tomatoes using the medium-holes of a grater. Discard the peel.

Step 2: Cooking the harira
1- Place the grated tomatoes and onions in a pressure cooker.
Note: You can use a heavy lidded pot instead of a pressure cooker, but note that it will take about 2 hours to cook the chickpeas.
2- Drain the chickpeas, then add them to the pressure cooker.
3- Add half of the finely chopped herbs and reserve the other half for later.
4- Add the pepper, ginger, salt, turmeric, saffron threads, smen, and olive oil.
5- Cut the beef meat into small cubes.
6- Add the beef and water to the pot.
7- Close the pressure cooker, place it over medium heat, and cook for 20 minutes or until the chickpeas are tender.
8- Rinse the lentils with cold water.
9- Turn off the heat, release the steam from the pressure cooker, open, then add the lentils.
10- Close the pressure cooker again, and cook for 10 minutes.
11- Rinse the rice with cold water.
12- Turn off the heat. Release the steam from the pressure cooker, open the pot, then add the rice and water.
13- Cook, without closing the lid, until the soup comes to boil.

Step 3: Thickening the harira
1- Place the flour and water in a large bowl, and whisk to combine until the mixture is smooth.
2- Add the tomato paste, and whisk to combine.
3- Add the flour mixture to the pot, and the remaining half of the herbs, then continue simmering for 20 minutes while frequently stirring so that the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Step 4: Serving the harira
1- Serve the harira while hot with slices of lemon, dates and chebakia, then enjoy!